dogs – Karla's Cottage

Treasured times in Guncleland

dogs, Food and Drink, guncles, jewelry, Travel

By Karla Nathan / July 16, 2025

We enjoy traveling with our dogs, and there is no better place to take them along than to the Guncles’ house in Jax. They get the full royal treatment there, complete with a throne to rest upon.

They aren't the only ones feeling queenly on this vacation. Randy and Kevin make us all feel special with their pampering.

See how they feed us? Deliciously beautiful!

We’ve been crafting, touring the antique mall they have a spot in, drinking good wine, and playing with pups.

As well as being fed the best meal I think I’ve ever had. Honestly, the red snapper and rosemary honey carrots rank at the top of anything I’ve ever eaten.

The dinner was so perfect that we couldn’t think of erasing it from our taste buds by eating dessert. So, I’m considering having this tart for breakfast instead.

I’d brought fresh peaches from our tree and made this a little differently, with a tiny bit of brown sugar, spices, and some white wine drizzled over the fruit. I think it will be an appropriately decadent breakfast for Guncleland.

The girls are enjoying the trip as much as we are. They travelled well, stopping at dog parks along the way. All are freshly groomed to be their loveliest selves for the adventure, including Honey. We take the doodles into the groomer a couple times a year, with home trim ups as needed, and regular baths in the garden hose.

But not their mama dog, I didn’t even think about getting a haircut for a golden retriever, til I saw one being styled when I picked up the golden doodles from their appointment.

So Honey Bunny got the full treatment, including a furminator brushing. Worth every penny! On the drive here, no clouds of hair were wafting from the backseat and floating up my nose. Who knew you could avoid fluffs of fur like that? And doesn’t she look pretty for going to see the Guncles?

We are heading out to a cruise this weekend, and the dogs are staying behind in the lap of luxury here on Sweet Cherry Lane. I know they will love every minute of it. That’s how we all feel here.

An Indy Visit

dogs, family, friends

By Karla Nathan / April 16, 2025

This doll baby is Keifer and he is a thoughtful, introspective young man with a sweet nature. He’s Sissy’s doodle and is keeping me company while I’m in indiana visiting family. I offered to help my sister move into her new home and have done a bit of unpacking, but mostly I’ve just been enjoying family time with her and the neices.

As well as some doggie snuggle time, of course. Plus, I got to see some life long best friends and catch up over Pinot Grigio and salmon. Why didn’t I take photos? Dang, I was just talking too much. They looked so beautiful, I really should’ve made an effort to take pictures because no one will believe me when I tell them how unchanged these pals are. My heart is still full this morning after our evening together last night and hearing stories about their lives and families.

Ahead this week is antiquing, attending (and most likely over shopping) at the gem show, and a fancy dinner out with the girls.

You know what going to a gem show means, right? Craft days! There are a couple of those coming up too.

At the Guncles

dogs, family, guncles

By Karla Nathan / February 19, 2025

While the reason for my trip to Jax wasn’t the best (poor Kev was under the weather and I went to help out) my time there was as delightful as ever.

The Guncles’ home is colorful and welcoming, the company is hilarious, and the food? Amazingly delicious.

On this visit, I tried to make myself useful by helping Randy take down Christmas and replace it with Valentine decorations.

We created a mushroom and fairy wonderland.

He had been crafting a lot of schroomies, so the ones that didn’t go into the fabulous birdcage got popped them into flower arrangements.

He let me redo his craft room too. I love a good sorting out, and a session of label making.

The Florida temps were mild, but after the cold January I’d survived in Kansas, it felt downright balmy. Wearing a sweater to go out is a treat after the layers upon layers I’d been bundling into back home. Olivia and I went for strolls around the neighborhood multiple times a day.

We saw hearts in the sidewalk and pavement every time.

This one was a unique find, it’s a ding on a car’s door.

The best part of the trip was seeing Kevin get stronger and stronger.

I wished I could’ve stayed longer.

That is what I say every time I leave their lovely home.

Everything was golden

dogs

By Karla Nathan / October 25, 2024

With Rich working out of town so much, we have missed our dog park walks. Last week, we had an opportunity to hit the trails and get some steps in with the doggies.

Our good intentions of getting exercise soon turned into relaxing by the water fall and soaking up the golden sunshine of a perfect autumn morning.

My lack of motivation didn’t stop the dogs. At the sight of the water, zoomies hit and they took off running with pure joy.

Well, most of them, that is. Dorothy Rosebud hung with me on the cliff.

(uhm, I know that if you are a hiker in a genuine mountain zone, you wouldn’t consider this a “cliff”. But hey, I’m a Kansan, let me have my happiness where I can find it! This is my Kansas version of a waterfall beneath a cliff)

Oh, and whatever you do, please don’t tell the girls and spoil it for them.

This quiet, little space at the dog park, down by the Kaw River is their idea of being free in the wilderness. And our corner of paradise.

Looking good for the season

dogs

By Karla Nathan / October 19, 2024

Our doodles were gifted some fall scarves to wear and surprisingly have kept them on. Typically, those things get pulled off in wrestling matches.

Molly wanted me to see how cute she looked in her new accessory while holding a special toy. Yep, pretty durn cute, Molly!

New doos for the doodles

dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers)

By Karla Nathan / July 27, 2024

About half the time, we cut the dogs’ hair ourselves. Rich and I set up a table in the yard, get out the clippers and shave away.

Sugar treats this as a spa day and luxuriates in the attention she gets while relaxed and splayed out on the table. Her eyes start to droop, and she dozes off in bliss as we work on her.

Molly doesn’t agree with the whole bliss thing.

But she is cooperative and mostly patient, so it’s not bad. The trouble isn’t them, it’s me. I can do the grooming myself and they don’t look hideous after.

Still, I hate doing it. Even though the table makes for easy access to the dog, and we work outside so clean up isn’t extremely awful, I just don’t like doing the job. I feel like I end up with more fur on me than is on the pups.

Most of that fur, is in my nostrils.

To keep down the costs on grooming, I do it anyway. Our dogs run in the woods, dig in the mud, tangle up in burrs. And doodle fur is made of Velcro. Every twig they walk by sticks in it. If you don’t keep their coats nice, they will mat.

So 2 to 3 tines a year, we shave it all off. I compromise on the expense by sometimes doing the job. But when I can, splurging on having a pro groom them means more to me than most of my favorite treats or purchases.

Little Dorothy is an easy job, I shouldn’t complain too much about her 9lb body’s little bit of hair. But I still would rather not shave her either. So this week, off they all went to get prettied up.

Honestly, the girls look soooooo much better when I’m not the one holding the razor. See how lovely Molly is after visiting the beauty shop?

Honey doesn’t go, golden retrievers just need a bath in the garden hose every once in a while. And her hair doesn’t tangle or mat, or catch sticks and burns like the others do.

Also, I get plenty of her fur up my nose on a daily basis. The trade off on not needing groomed is the daily shedding.

It’s a good thing they are all so dang lovable.

Peeps and Pups

dogs, Hens

By Karla Nathan / May 27, 2024

Last year, we did a big car switcheroo. We got Ryan’s car back from Adam to repair, planning to pass it along to Sugarwings. Since the grandfairy does not have a license yet, we use it to go back and forth to the dog park. It’s been great for that and will be hard to lose this “dog car” when it’s time to clean it back up and hand it over to the new driver.

Around here, dogs pretty much rule the roost, but they are just going to have to understand that it isn’t really their car. They are just borrowing it.

Our little peeps are growing up, have lost most of their downy fuzz. They look like mini hens now instead of babies.

The teenage chickens now live with the rest of the ladies and are free to roam both yards with them. The old biddies aren’t exactly welcoming of the intruders, but they are used to them and are excepting. The little ones lived in a pen inside the pen for a bit and that seemed to help the transition.

All of the babies are impressed with the egg that the mature hens left in the nest. We watched as they checked out the egg, tried an experimental sit on it, and basically just hung out around it.

For now, they mingle just a bit, but not in a cozy way. It’s definitely two separate flocks, sharing one home. As long as no one gets too hen pecked, it should be fine. The bigs are quick to put the littles in their place, with a sharp peck. But the littles are full of that youthful energy and speed that keeps them out of danger of a serious argument. They are listening to the warnings of their elders and skeedaddling out of their way.

Fingers crossed that they learn from the older gals, and end up being good, sweet chickies, like those ladies are. The bigs are pretty much, no muss-no fuss birds. I hope this latest batch grows up without any divas amongst them.

Rescheduled free time

antiques/junking, dogs, family, jewelry

By Karla Nathan / April 24, 2024

We’ve had a pleasant month, even with all of the ups and downs, changes, and the flurry of selling the boat. I was supposed to drive to Indy to watch the full eclipse but was too exhausted from all of my previous travel and from getting caught up with my booth.

And I was supposed to go to Florida to meet up with lifetime friends, but due to some serious health issues in their families, the travel plans were tenuous and I cancelled a few days in advance to get my flight refund. (Their loved ones are doing better, by the way!)

So my hectic month of travel turned into sitting by the dragon table’s fire pit and roasting marshmallows a few nights with friends or with Sugarwings and having days suddenly without plans that I could now fill however I liked.

Rich tracked down some morels out in the woods and we fried up those on our evenings spent enjoying wine with buddies on the patio.

Rich also brought back ticks on those mushroom hunts. This poor girl had HUNDREDS on her. Seriously so, so many. We discovered them while out on the boat relaxing. That trip soon turned into Sugarwings and I tossing ticks overboard after plucking them from these black curls.

While I was sad to miss out on my trip to visit my family and watch the moon cover the sun, my car was glad for the break. Its odometer was piling up miles quickly over this last winter. And look, it hit a lucky run of all fives!

I have taken some of my bonus time, when I should’ve been gone, to make jewelry. I’d gotten some gorgeous stone pendants at the gem show and have enjoyed adding them to strands of beads I’ve strung.

I made a few more book page drawings, then came up with an idea to display them on this dilapidated, wicker chair. It seemed to be beyond saving, and had even been partially run over by a truck. I wrapped it in some vines, then added a mossy seat cover (spending more on supplies than the chair is worth, of course, but hey, that’s just how projects go sometimes). Now, it has a new purpose as an easel.

After being out of town so much, I appreciated some unplanned downtime to putter around, go to garage sales, float on the lake, do some crafting, catch up with friends. But I’d give up every moment of my lazy days if it meant I could spend more time by Bobbie’s side. Those months of her illness were so sad, but it was also such a treasure to have those days by her side.

I'd hop in the car, pile some more miles on that odometer, and visit her in a hot minute if I had that option.

A partial eclipse but a full day

celebrations, dogs

By Karla Nathan / April 11, 2024

Our eclipse experience last Monday was a laid back, quiet one. I had plans to drive to see the big show in indiana with family, but simply couldn’t get my body to follow through with what my heart wanted to do.

After 18 hours in the car the previous weekend, with a bad cold at the same time, then working two long days at Good Juju, I was beyond beat.

9 hours in the car plus possible traffic problems was more than I could gear up for. And our city wasn’t far off from totality, we were over 90%, that couldn’t be that big of a difference, could it?

Well yes, it was. What you see in a total eclipse is far, far different than a partial. We still could watch the slowly expanding then diminishing slices of moon and sun, the temps dropped and I wished for a sweater. The colors became sharper and eerily brighter. Rich and I had a very pleasant walk through the dog park and relaxing view of the spectacle. But it lacked the magic I’ve seen when I was underneath the corona of the full coverage.

Plus, I got to wear my new, favorite shirt! Designed by my buddy, Sam, at Juju.

Overall, our afternoon outing with the dogs had a peaceful vibe, and it was a lovely day. Sugar was a bit nervous, but the other girls didn’t seem to be affected by any of the changes in the sky. I sang Moon Shadow a lot (maybe my singing was what had Sugar upset, she would have a point if it was.)

Basically, it was more than one of those lemonaide days. One where you tell yourself to make the best of what you’ve got, turn those lemons into something better. It was a very good day on its own, so I’m not complaining. But I am promising myself that when I’m in my 80s and get one more shot at eclipse magic, I’ll not miss it. Getting the right view of the moon shadow is worth the effort.

A craft day to crow about

dogs, drawing, family, guncles

By Karla Nathan / March 30, 2024

Guncle Randy and I had an excellent craft day together.

We both worked on crowns, I painted some of my book page drawings, and helped him with a base coat on a violin he wants to embellish.

He had a couple bridal gowns to share, so I cut those up. He is using some of that on his violin too.

It was a lot for one day, but we jammed in as much fun as we could, and made time to take pictures of our hand crafted crowns on the heads of his many garden friends.